Shock-absorber.



L. A. PBGKHAIW. SHOCK ABsoRBBR.

APPLICATION FILED APILG, 1910. f Patented Apr. 11; 1911.`

esame. i

STENT OlFioii.

'LTHER .tt PECKHAM, 0F EDQIGWGQD, RHGDE ISLANB.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that Llinri-inn A. Piiciiriain, a citizen of the 4United States, residing at lildfrewood, in the town of Cranston, in the elonntv of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certainnew and use ful improvements in ShocleAbsorbershot which the following is a speciication, reter ence being had therein to the accompanying drawingl This invention relates to attachments for vehicles for neutralizing or minimiiiingthe eiiect of shocks and jars due to obstacles 01' uiievennesses in the road, and it relates peciaily'to that typeof' shock absorber which -will present no resistance to relative movements in one direction, but will provide a' strong resistance to recoil.- U

One of the'objects ofi the invention is to provide a simple and powertilldevice adapt ed to be readily applied to any kind ot vein cle, said device being so constructed that the grip which resists recoilwill lcome into eiiect 'instantly and exertits 'maximum power at the very beginning of any tendencyto recoil. A. further object othe present-mventioiji is to provide improved meansj f icluding a ring or band, which may oscillate on the face of a drum, with devices for regulating' the itrietioiial pressure ot' the ring on said drum. ifi/ith these and other objects in view, the invention consists ot certain novel i'zeatiiresl ofconstruction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointedout in the appended claims. y I v l'n the accompanying drawings: Figure 1.-- is a side elevation illustrating an einbodimcnt of my improved shock absorber attached to `the sprin, or axle of a vehicle and the friction band operating lever iconnected to 4the vehicleframe. Fig. 2- is a sectional view of my device illustrating` its action and :ilsouthe lubricating system. Fig. il is a section on line 3---3 ot Fig. 2. Fig. 4- is a perspective view 'of the circular key or ring ior retaining the band on the drum. Fig. 5w is a vieiiv'similar to Fig. 2 but illnetrating a modification hereinafter described. Figs. 6 and 'i'.W are detail sectional views illiistratin il 'i modifications hereinafter described. ig, 8 is a detail vieiv'sliowing lthe inner .tace oitone of the members of the friction band. ir-T. detail. elevation7 partly in section, of the form of friction ring shown in Figl Specification oi' Letters latent.

Application-tiledAprlt, 1910. Serial No. lfitLQS.`

` Similar .reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all of the views.

Referringtirst tothe embodiment illustrated in Figs. l to 4 of the drawings, a portion of the iframe or chassis of an automobile is indicated atI l, a portion of one of the siii-ings of the Vvehicle being indicated at 2.

The shock labsorbing device comprises abody portion 3 which ispreferably, as shown in thedrawings, made in the form of a cir` ctilar' drum which is mounted on a pin if supported by a bracket 6. To ,secure the drum ir'mly'against rotation, it is shown 'as formed 'with a transverse key or projection 5 at one end of its hub portion, said key t`1tting a verticalkey-Way or groove in the face of the bracket (i. The bracket 6 is indicated as attached to the spring 2 by means olf straps 7, but I do not limit myself to the particular means for supporting the drum 3. As best shown in Fig. 3, the periphery of the drum is formed with an annular froove S which receivesa. ring 9 (see Fig. i said ringserving to prevent lateral movement of the members of the friction band mounted on the drum.' f

10 and l0 connected by ar pivot oi' hinge l1, one oi said members. the lower member 10 in this instance,v being formed with an eX- `tension 12 which supports a pivot 13. On the pivot 13 is mou ted an arm or lever 1.4` which arm is shown as formed of tivo members, the outer member 14 being ittedto the member 14 and locked thereon by a transverse pin '1.6. The inner end of the arm 0i' lever 14 is connected by means of a pivot pin 15 with the upper band member 10 as- I shown in Fig. 2 and b v'dotted lines in Fig'. 1, the connection being such that any movement of the arm 14 `on its pivot 13 will release or'close the band members 10 and 10 relativelyto the drum Il, according to the` direction in which the arm 14` is oscillated.

For convenience of description reference hereinafter will be` made to the pin 4 and drum 3 as being stationary. yWhile the frame 1 may movevup or down relatively to the horizontal plane of the pin 4; lint it will be understood that, in practice, when the veliirle` is moving, the frame l-might really possess less vertical movementtlian' the pin. 4i.

The mounting or connections of the arm or 'lever 14 just described is sucliithat when 'llie friction band comprises tivo members the outer end of said lever moves downward, the members 10 10 of the band open somewhat so as to take practically no fric- 'tional hold upon the drum. But when movement occurs in the other direction, the two members of the band are caused to bind tightly on the drum, this being due to the fact that the two members are pivoted together at l1 while the arm has independent pivotal connections 13 and l5 with the two parts 10 and 10 of the band.

The extreme outer end of the extension 12 is. rounded like a portion of a sphere, and the rear end of the part 14,yk of the lever is correspondingly shaped as shown at 17, this structure providing a dust proof joint,

while still permitting the portion 14 of the arm or lever to work up and down in the opening 1n the extension 12. The outer end of the portion 14 of the lever is formed as' a socket 18 in which are fitted two blocks .20 and 2]said blocks being formed to receive between them the ball 19 on the lower end of an upwardly projecting stem 31. A nut 22 in the lower end of the socket holds the lower block 21 against the ball 19 and enables the proper adjustment to be etfected when 'assembling or to compensate for wear.

The stem 31 of the ball 1S) projects upward through an opening in the top of the outer end of the portion 14 of the lever.

A grease cup 23 is secured to the frame 1 of the machine, as by means of ears Q4, said grease cup containing a'plunger 25 lwhich can be forced downward byv means' of a handle 26. Within said grease cup, at the bottom thereof, are two blocks Q8 which are formed to receive between them the ball 27 having a stem'.30 projecting downwardly through an opening in the bottom of the grease cup. The adjacent ends of the stems 30-31 are connected by a tube 29 check nuts 32-33 being interposed between the ends of said tube and the socket 18 and grease cup 23 respectively.

As shown in Fig. Q, the topface ,of .the outer end of the lever portion-14', andthe lower end face of the grease cup, are con- Vex. The check vnuts 32, 33 have concave faces fitting said convex faces. The concave portions of the check nuts :form dust caps and serve to edectually protect thev joints. j

Each of the balls and its stem is formed with a duet or channel 34 so that grease from the cup 23 can be forced down to theV lower'ball. The balls themselves are provided with radial ducts so that, in operation, as the members oscillatc, grease will work out to\the`bearings of the balls in their seats. Oscillation of the members in use v eauses one or more of the ducts' in the lower end lil to occasionally pass to a position so as to communicate with the space 35 between the blocks Q0 and ill in the socket 1S, so Ythatgrease can then pass into the space 3G in the outer end of the member 14 of the lever. Said member 14 is formed with one or more chamrls v37 leading back sutiiciently far to permit grease to proceed into the space 38 within the extension 12 of the member 10 of vthe band. The grease can then pass through opening 3S) and follow along the channels formed'in the inner faces of the members l0 10 of the band. The channel 40 of each member may be formed with sockets 41 at intervals, as best shown in Fig. 8, thereby increasing the capacity of these surfaces to'hold the grease.

It sometimes happens that. when the device is put in position for useit is difficult to gain access to the grease cup 23 to till it or to actuate the plunger. To enable the grease to be forced in, under such circumstances, I provide a grease cup 142 in the member l0of the band, said'fgijease cup being constructed substantially tilsalne as the cup being provided with a plunger which may be actuated by a handle to force grease through an aperture into the crevices between the drum and band members and to be gradually worked along in a direction reverse to that described in connection with the forcing of grease from the cup In order that the lever l-l may normally remain in the position indicated in Figs. l and 2, I provide. a spring 44 in .a .suitablyT formed recess in the extension l) under the lever 14, and an adjusting screw 43 tapped through the upper wall of the extension 1.2. By adjusting a screw 44 below the spring 44 the tension of spring 44 may be adjusted. The screw 43 may be adjusted to limit the amount of movement which the arm 14 may haver upon its pivot 13.* To determine the position of the screw 43, I may employ a suitable pointer 53 connected to said screw, to act in conjunction with a graduated dist 5 4 to indicate the position of said screw 43.

In Fig. 5 'I have illustrated an embodiment of the invention in which 'the grease ducts are dispensed with, and in which also means are provided for restricting the movements of oscillation which m 'y..be imparted to the lever 14 on its pin.13. `For this purpose, the extension 12 carries vtwo adjustable stop screws 45 and 4G in positions in front of and behind the vertical plane of the pivot 13. By setting these two screws 45 and 46 inward more or less the amount of vibration or oscillation which can be imparted to the arm 14'" can vbe determined without allowing such amount of vibration to be limited by the gripping of the band members. In other words. if the set screws 45, 46 are loosened considerably the band members 10-10 will be brought much more firmly and tightly against the drum than if said screws are setin the position shown in Fig. 5. In said gu'rc l also shoiv'an adjustable stop screw l? mounted in one ear at the rear of the hinge lll andbearing-agaiiist another ear so as to limit the degree to which the band members '10 can be opened. v'In some cases, the screws 45, 46 can be dispensed with and the screw 47 alone relied upon. (lr the screws 45--16 canfbe used without the screw 47, or all three otsaid screws can be used to conjointly serve thcpurpose described. y 1

In ysome` instances it is found advisable to iiiterpose a friction ring 48 between the i drum and band. `"When, this is used,` it is best to forni it somewhatr V-shape in cross section, as indicated in Figs. G and 9, sothat it cannot slip out. of place. ln such Vcases the internal faces of the band members will be ot' course similarly formed. To assemble the parts when so constructed, the drum is4 formed of two members 49 mounted side by side upon the pin 4 and secured thereonby a key 50 and held bj a nut 51 secured on the end 52 of the pin 4. As shownin Fig. 7, `the friction ring may be' somewhat'diamonfh shape ain cross section as shoivn ,at 48.', the band members being thenl formed in cross sectionso as `to accommodate this form of friction ring. F y

Referring ragain to Figs. land 2, it will be seen that the structure is such that grease might escape from, or dust gain access to, the chamber 38;l To prevent this, the crevices which are provided may be advantageously covered by a fiexible `Wrapping or shell 60 which may be of leather secured in place by bands 61. e

ln'practice as the vehicle travels over the road the unevennesses causethe spring, and consequently the shock absorber, to continuously vibrate. This constant action ivill soon Wear out and destroy the utili'tv of a shock absorbing device it the Wearing' parts are not properly lubricated. i lt is found that 4the only practical lubricating material is a comparatively heavy grease With which all of the chambers and recesses n the inte-` rior of the device are packed. ln order to preserve the thorough lubricated condition of the parts the grease forcing cup is `espe-l cially desirable particularly when located in position to enable access to be readily had for the purpose of forcing additional lubri- 'inner one; @wing to the" fact that this oscils iating member has tWopai-tfs which are pivotally connected, and an arm having independent pivotal connections with said two parts. Whenever there is a tendency to recoil trom the action ofi-the spring the two parts tively stationary member so rm'ly as to suf- -Iticiently if not entirely preventv recoil. The

grip might be so vrigid as to resultrin breakage of `the arm or someofthe'connections Possibility of such excessive gripping occurring, however, is avoided by the adjustingv screw mechanism described.

It will now be understood that my invention `includes'a compound lever, said lever consistingot three members 10, 10', and the arm 14, the members 10 and 10 being each substantially semi-circular and pivoted""to lget-her at-oneend, as at 11, the other ends of said members 10, 10 being pivotally connected at 13,' 15 to the third member 14 ofv said compound' lever. lSince the'pivotal connect-ions 13, 15 are atl different points longitudinally of the arm 14, oscillation vof.

`the arm 14 in the plane permitted by the pivotal connections will enlarge or diminish thecircle Within lthe members 10, 10". and

,therefore release or increase the friction upon the stationary drum which is inclosed bythe said semi-circular members 10, 10.

A feature of my invention which I regard of importance is the structure of the univer'- sal jointed link which connects the louter end oi the oscillating arm with the grease cupor other member which connects the `link with the frame of the machine. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that each of the nuts 32 and A33fare formed with portions which may be referred to as t skirts someyvhat concavo-'convex in form, the concave surfaces fitting partially spherical `surfaces of the outer end of the arm and the bottomy of the grease cup respectively. This structure provides an absolutely dust-proof connection so that While the link is capable of universal movement, no dust can gain access tothe ball and socket joints or grease escape therefrom.

My invention is not restricted tothe preoise construction and arrangement of parts herein shoivn and described, nor to the various details thereof, as the same may be Variously modied or zie-arranged Within the limits of mechanical skill, Without departtion.`

-I claim- 1. A shock absorber comprising a com- Ving from the spirit 'and scope of my -invenpound lever consisting of three members two of the oscillating niemiwr grasp the i'elaa two-part band inclosin'g said drum, one of said parts having a radial extension formed as a housing, an arm or lever memberin said housing and projecting beyond it, .said arm being pivotally connected with the i members ot' said band, agsleeve secured to the lever arm beyond the. extension and having means at its outer end whereby it may be connected to the frame of the vehicle, and means for limiting the movement of said arm or lever member in said housing.

3'. A shock 'absorber comprising a twopart band, one of said parts having a radial i extension, a drum inclosed by said band, an arm in said extension and pivotally con ne'eted to the two parts of the band, the said parts of the band being pivotally connected together at a point opposite-the said extension, the said extension having a depending Socket, a Spring mounted in said socket and bearing against the underside ot the arm, andan adjustable stop screw mounted above said arln.

4. A shock absorber comprising a drum, a two-part band inclosing said drum, one ot said parts having a radial extension formed as a housing, an arm or lever member in said housing and projecting beyond it, said arm' being pivotally connected With the members of said band, a sleeve secured to the lever; arm beyond the extension and having means" at its outer end whereby it may be connected to the frame of the Vehicle, the outer end of said housing being formed as a Iportion of a sphere, and the inner end of said sleeve being formed to closely fit the outer end of said housing.

,5. A shock absorber comprising a non-rotary drum, two semi-circular members pivotally connected together and inelosing said drum, an extension from one of said :'emi-cir cular members, said extension ibeineV 'formed as a housing, a lever pivotally mounted in said housing and lr'ving a pivotal connection with the other 'senate-irculm"member, a sleeve secured to said arm, and :i link having a nni\v 'al joint connection with said sleeve.

6. A shock absorber comprising a compound lever consisting ot three members two of which are. substantiallyY Semi-circular and are pivotedtogether at one end, the other endsl being pivotally connected to the third member at ditl'erent points of the latter, a non-rotary friction drum inclosed :by 'the Isaid semi-circular members, means earried b v one of said semi-circular meml'icrs for adjustably limiting the closing effect of the semi-circular members due to operations of the third member, and means for indicating the amount of adjustment of said means.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

LUTHER A. PECKHAM. lVitnesses: i

HOWARD E. BAnLow, E. I. OGDEN. 

